Line Break gone bad (Natural Gas Condensate w/ flash fire)

Opening a Natural Gas Condensate line with a battery-operated drill inside a compressor building is ASKING for trouble.  Basic HAZLOC work practices include using INTRINSICALLY SAFE tools that are APPROVED for the HAZLOC, which has been an OSHA requirement since 1981…

1910.307(c) Electrical installations. Equipment, wiring methods, and installations of equipment in hazardous (classified) locations shall be intrinsically safe, approved for the hazardous (classified) location, or safe for the hazardous (classified) location.

At 9:00 a.m. an employee was troubleshooting an electronics system that controlled a valve for a natural gas compressor system. The employee used a 20 Volt Max Lithium-Ion 3/8″ Impact Wrench to disassemble a check valve to determine if the valve was experiencing a mechanical failure.  The worker had removed the second bolt when the condensate ignited. The employee was wearing FR clothing, eye protection, and gloves; however, he was hospitalized with several burns to his hands and face.

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Violation Summary
  Serious Willful Repeat Other Total
Initial Violations 1       1
Current Violations       1 1
Initial Penalty $13,260 $0 $0 $0 $13,260
Current Penalty $0 $0 $0 $13,260 $13,260

 

Violation Items
  # ID Type Standard Issuance Abate Curr$ Init$ LastEvent
  1. 01001A Other

19100106 H07 I A – Precautions shall be taken to prevent the

ignition of flammable vapors. Sources of ignition include but

are not limited to open flames; lightning; smoking; cutting and

welding; hot surfaces; frictional heat; static, electrical, and

mechanical sparks; spontaneous ignition, including heat-

producing chemical reactions; and radiant heat.

09/25/2019 10/01/2019 $13,260 $13,260 I – Informal Settlement
Deleted 2. 01001B Serious

19100307 C – Equipment, wiring methods, and installations of

equipment in hazardous (classified) locations shall be

intrinsically safe, approved for the hazardous (classified)

location, or safe for the hazardous (classified) location.

Requirements for each of these options are as follows:

09/25/2019 10/01/2019 $0 $0 I – Informal Settlement
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